This much you already know: Political campaigns can be costly. And that's especially true for one candidate who ran for Chicago alderman last year.John Garrido lost after getting knocked around by negative ads.

Chicago's mayor and thousands of city union workers are staring down a Thursday deadline to come up with an agreement that could save the city tens of millions of dollars.Former Chicago Mayor Richard Daley's administration banked on $32 million in labor concessions to help balance the 2011 budget.